Apparatus for casting metals.



No. 741,752. PATENTBD OCT. 20, 1903.

' A A. M. AGKLIN.

APPARATUS FOR CASTING METALS.

-APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 5. 1901.

N0 MODEL.

walcvlline.

A 12 1s :1: 1a-

jHLJ xORRfli PETERS co, worn-umo WASHINGTON, u. c

NITED STATES Patented October 20, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED M. AGKLIN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HEYL ANDPATTERSON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A FIRM.

APPARATUS FOR CASTING METALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N 0. 741,752, dated October20, 1903.

Application filed March 5. 1901- Serial No. 49,815. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED M. AOKLIN, a resident of Pittsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Apparat us for Casting Metals; and Ido herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

My invention relates to the casting of metal; and it has reference moreparticularly to that method of casting in which themetal is fed into aseries of molds mounted on a powerdriven endless carrier, such as isshown in Letters Patent No. 583,424, granted to me on May 25, 1897. 1

One of the difficulties attending the practice of the method abovereferred to is that an endless carrier of great length was required inorder to allow the metal within the molds of the carrier to coolsufliciently for discharging into ordinary cars and necessitatingconsiderable space for the apparatus and augmenting the amount, andconsequently the cost, of the materials required for its constructionand repairs. Another difficulty'was that on account of the endlesscarrier being inclined upwardly from the exit end of the I tank to thewheels for such carrier the stress or strain on the links and axles ofthecarrier, as well as upon the sprockets, was great, so as to causebreakage and increased cost for the renewal of the parts.

The object of my invention is to obviate these difficulties as much aspossible and to provide an apparatus which will take up less space ingeneral and one which will decrease the distance between the ladle-cartrack and the metal-car track, which decreased distance is a decidedadvantage in an ordinary blast-furnace yard, as well as one which willbe more durable and lessen the cost of the renewal of the parts.

My invention consists, generally stated, in the novel arrangement,construction, and combination of parts, as hereinafter more specificallyset forth and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains toconstruct and use the apparatus, I will describe the same more rier.

any suitable manner.

.fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is aside view of the apparatus employed, showing some of the parts brokenaway and in section. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the tank onthe line 22, Fig. 1. 'Fig. 3 is a plan View of a portion of the endless car- Fig.4 is a side View of the same, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of severalof the molds.

Like numerals of reference herein indicate like parts in each of thefigures of the drawlngs.

The framework of the apparatus may be of any suitable construction, thatillustrated consisting of the standards 1, erected upon the base-plates2 and connected by cross-bars 3. The brackets 4 connect said standards 1and cross-bars 3 and act to brace the structure, and these standards arestationed at proper intervals, so as to support within the same thereservoir or tank 5. This tank 5 is made from sheet-metal platesproperlyjoined together to prevent leakage, and secured to the innerwalls of said tank are the tracks 6, which may be formed of angle-barsand extend from the front end of the framework beyond the tank 5 to therear end of the frame,

and where said tracks 6 are not within the tank 5 they are supported bythe frame in As stated, the tracks 6 begin at the front end of the frameadjacent to the hexagon wheel 7 and then slope down, as at 7, into thetank 5, after which they run in a horizontal line 6 through the tank tothe rear end thereof and at a height within said tank as will permit themolds, hereinafter specifically referred to, moving along partiallysubmerged by the water contained within said tank. From this horizontalline 6 the tracks 6 extend at an incline as they emerge from the tank 5,as at 7", up to the hexagon wheels 8, which are mounted on a shaft 8',which is journaled in suitable bearings on the frame 9, extending outfrom the main frame of the tank 5 and being adapted to be driven in anysuitable manner. A second line of tracks 10 is secured to the standards1 below the tracks 6 and under the tank 5, these tracks'10 extendingfrom the front endof the apparatus at a point adjacent to and under thefront wheels 7, mounted on the shaft in a horizontal line'lO andterminate at a point adjacent to the wheels 8 at the under side thereof.

The endless carrier 11 is adapted to travel on the tracks 6 and lO'andis preferably made up of the construction shown, in which the links 12are open-looped shaped in construction and have bolts 12 extendingthrough short pipe-sections 12 between the same to stiffen andstrengthen them. The ends of these links 12 overlap each other aroundthe axles 13 and are loosely mounted thereon,

while rollers or wheels 14 are loosely mounted around the ends of suchaxles for traveling on the tracks 6 and 10, while the links 12 engagewith the hexagon faces on the wheels 7 and 8 as the endless carrier 11travels over the same. Secured to the links 12 are the pans or molds 16,which have extensions 15 thereon, through which and the links 12 thebolts 15 pass for securing the same, and the pans or molds 16 haveprojecting lips 16 thereon, so as to overlap each other and prevent themolten metal while filling them from falling down between the molds 1G.Collars 17 are formed on the axles 13, which are provided witharc-shaped projecting hoods 18 thereon for extending over the bosses ofthe wheels 14, and a set-screw 19 is secured within the hood 18, so asto enable said collars 17 to be securely clamped to the axles 13 by theturning of said set-screws 19 and the hoods 1S acting to protect thejournals or bearings of the axle from the molten metal or other materialwhich is liable to be splashed onto such journals or hearings in thepouring of the molten metal or from a sudden jar of the molds passingover the frame.

Located under the wheel 8 and below the endless carrier 11 is the tank21, formed of any suitable material, which is adapted to 'be filled withwater and into which a chute 22 leads from under the wheels 8 andcarrier 11. A track 23 extends upward from the interior of said tank 21at an incline to a metalcar 23, which is located on tracks 22, adjacentto said tank 21, and the upper ends of said track 23 are curved or bentdownwardly, as at 23". 'A skip-car 24, adapted to travel on said tracks23 by its wheels 24, is located Within said tank 21 and is raised andlowered by means of a rope 25, passing over a powerdriven drum 26 andconnected to a link or bar 27 to the rear end of the said car 24.

In practice the apparatus is located adjacent to the blast-furnace, andthe molten metal may be conveyed in any suitable manner to the molds ofthe carrier, although in the drawings I have simply indicated a spout28, into which the metal is poured from a ladle 29, mounted on a car 30,which is adapted to travel on the tracks 31 to and from theblast-furnace. The spout 28 is located at the front end of the carrier11 over the tank 5, as I prefer to pour the metal into the molds whilethe molds are partially submerged by the water within said tank, so thatwhile the carrier 11 is moving in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1,the metal is poured into the molds in the front end of the tank 5. Bypouring the metal into the 'molds in this manner the hot metal does notact to heat said molds to such a high degree, and consequently there isless tendency of the molds bending and warping due to expansion andcontraction. As the metal is poured into the molds from the ladle 29through the spout 28 said molds move along within the tank 5 in ahorizontal line, the tracks 6 being at such a height that the molds arenot completely submerged, the water-line being below the top edges ofthe molds. The molds are carriedalong at this height through the tank 5,which is of such length that the metal will set sufficiently to formcrusts on the surface of the pigs until they ascend the inclined portion7 of the tracks 6 and pass over the wheels 8. As the molds pass up andover the wheels 8 they are inverted and the pigs are dischargedtherefrom, falling down the chute 22 into the tank 21, located below thewheels 8, where they are caught and held in the skip-car 2t andcompletely submerged by the water in said tank. When a sufficient numberof pigs are contained within the car 24, the said car is raised up theinclined tracks 23 through the water in the tank 21 by the power-drivendrum 26 and rope 25, passing around said drum and connected to said car,and when said car has reached the curved portion 23 of said tracks 23the pigs are dumped or discharged therefrom into the metal-car 23 on thetracks 22, while said car is held by the rope 25 and bar 27, from whichpoint the metal pigs can be hauled to any point desired and the car 24returned to place within the tank 21 for another operation. Afterdischarging their pigs into the tank 21 the molds return in theirinverted position along the tracks 10 until they pass up over the Wheels7 in position to enter the tank 5 again and receive another charge ofmetal.

By the above process the molds filled with metal are carried in apartially-submerged state through a body of water by which the metal isgradually cooled and allowed to set and when sufficiently cool isdischarged therefrom and completely submerged and carried throughanother body of water, so that it emerges therefrom sufficiently cooledto permit it to be handled or discharged into cars for hauling ortransportation. The carrier and tank are therefore just madesufficiently long to encrust the pigs as to keep them from bleeding, sothat the apparatus is not extended to any great length. At the same timethe water keeps theomolds comparatively cool, and the wear and tear onthe molds are thus greatly reduced. Since the carrier and tank are of acomparatively short length, thereby reducing the costand space, andsince the carrier is not provided with any great lift except what littleis required to get over the rear end of the tank, the stress or strainupon the links, axles, and wheels therefore will be light.

It will'be evident that another skip-car can be used on a track adjacentto the track 23 and connected by a rope to a power-driven drum in likemanner as the skip-car 24, so that when one skip-car is traveling up thetracks and dumping the pigs therefrom another skip-car can be at restwithin the tank receiving the pigs from the carrier, and so make acontinuous operation. The pigs falling from the carrier or conveyerwould be deflected into the right or left hand car, respectively, by asuitable movable switch or valve placed upon the chute 22, and these andvarious other changes and modifications in the various parts of theapparatus may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-- 1. In an apparatus for casting pig metal, the combination with asuitable frame, of wheels mounted thereon a longitudinal endless carrierpassing around said wheels, rollers on said carrier, a water-trough,tracks located within and parallel to the sides of said trough uponwhich said rollers travel, a tank at the rear end of said carrier intowhich the pigs are discharged by the carrier, and a car within said tankadapted to catch the pigs as they are discharged by the carrier and tocarry them from the tank, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for casting pig metal, the combination with asuitable frame, of

wheels mounted thereon, a longitudinal endless carrier passing aroundsaid wheels, rollers on said carrier, molds on said carrier, awater-trough, tracks located within and parallel to the sides of saidtrough upon which said rollers travel, a tank at the rear end of saidcarrier into which the pigs are discharged by the carrier, inclinedtracks extending into said tank, and a car on said inclined tracksadapted to catch the pigs as they are discharged by the carrier and totravel up said tracks to discharge the same, substantially as described.

3. In a pig-casting apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, ofan endless carrier passing around suitable wheels thereon, rollers onsaid carrier, molds on said carrier, a tank, tracks located within andparallel with said tank upon which said rollers travel, a tank orreservoir arranged at the rear end of said carrier into which the pigsare discharged from said carrier, inclined tracks extending from withinsaid tank and provided with bent or curved outer ends, and a car on saidinclined tracks for catching the discharged pigs from the carrier, saidcar being adapted to travel up said tracks and engage with the bent orcurved ends thereon for dumping the pigs.

In testimony whereof I, the said ALFRED M. AGKLIN, have hereunto set myhand.

ALFRED M. AOKLIN.

Witnesses:

J. N. OOOKE, J. L. TREFALLER, Jr.

